“Santa came early, I guess.”
“Aw,” Bennie said, touched. “You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.” Declan smiled warmly.
“But I don’t have anything for you.”
“That’s okay. Open it.”
“What a lovely thing to do.” Bennie tore off the paper and lifted up the lid of a white cardboard box. Inside on a layer of cotton gleamed the silver bracelet she had seen in the store in Jim Thorpe. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.”
“When did you do this?” Bennie asked, happily surprised.
“When I went running. Bear picked it out. Put it on.”
“It’s so pretty.” Bennie picked up the silvery circle, which caught the lights as she slid it onto her wrist.
“Let me see.” Declan reached for her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed the side. “Beautiful.”
“Declan—” Bennie said, then felt a rush of happiness that rendered her speechless, maybe for the first time ever.
“Yes?” Declan said, smiling, and in the next moment, he leaned over and kissed her softly, and she kissed him back, feeling her heart give way.
“Yes,” Bennie answered, pulling away with a smile.
“Wow.” Declan smiled. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”
“Now you’re talking dirty.”
“No, I’m not.” Declan smiled wider. “When I talk dirty, you’ll know it.”
“Ha!” Bennie felt an unaccountable thrill.
“So how about I take you to lunch? I made a reservation at the place we canceled last night.”
“Too bad, you’ll have to cancel again.”
“Why? You have to work?”
“No, but we have better things to do.” Bennie reached over and turned the key in the ignition. “Let’s go home.”
“On it.” Declan laughed, putting the truck in gear.
* * *
They got back to the hotel, and Bennie hurried up the steps to the second floor with Declan at her heels. She had the room key ready when they reached her door, so she stuck it in the lock and twisted, then they both leaned on the door, so that when it opened, they practically fell inside the room, laughing.
“Arf!” Bear pawed them for attention, but they both ignored him, kissing while they wiggled out of their coats and fell back on the canopy bed, which was covered with photocopied cases. The dog barked a few more times, the papers crackled under their bodies, and the air smelled like stale pizza, but Bennie didn’t care, kicking off her pumps and hoping they didn’t land on Bear, who quieted, getting the picture.
Bennie lay back on the soft bed as they kissed, letting the world ebb away from her. She felt the softness of Declan’s lips, the delicious weight of his body on hers, and the pleasure coursing through her system, relaxing her totally, making her feel a way she hadn’t in ages. Her mind cleared and her thoughts vanished, even as Declan helped her out of her blazer, managing not to get it stuck on her new bracelet.
“Well done,” Bennie murmured.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Declan slid his hands under her blouse, so expertly that it made her shudder with arousal, and Bennie shivered under the warmth of his fingers as they ran over the top of her bra, which was when she gave herself over completely, surrendering to the happiness, the joy, and the sheer toe-curling pleasure that great sex could be, between two adults who cared deeply about each other.
There was more laughter than she expected, more sighs, and an unladylike cry that came from somewhere in Bennie’s throat, loud enough that Declan had to cover her mouth to keep the inn manager from the door, leaving them both laughing. They made love until darkness had fallen and they were out of condoms, and they talked until the dog needed walking, then they realized they were starving, so there was yet another pizza, this time eaten together in bed, watching the end of some dumb college football game, cut short by more talking, more kissing, and ultimately, more lovemaking.
Bennie didn’t care if they never left the room, and neither did Declan, so they didn’t, agreeing that although Jim Thorpe was adorable, they’d seen everything there was to see, so they spent all day Saturday in bed, as well as Saturday night to Sunday just after dawn. They both fell back asleep, with nobody bothering to set an alarm, and Bennie woke up with her head on Declan’s chest and his arm draped heavily over her, holding her close. She let wakefulness creep over her, in no hurry to move or change anything, just letting Sunday morning come on.
Sunlight warmed the bedroom, glowing in rays through the mullioned window. The only sound was the snoring of the dog at the foot of the bed, and the only movement the soft rising and falling of Declan’s chest as he slept. Bennie closed her eyes again, trying to hold on to the peace of the moment and the happiness of being here, with him. That she was falling in love with him was a foregone conclusion, though she hadn’t admitted it to him last night, nor even to herself until this very moment. She sensed that he was falling in love with her in return, though he hadn’t said so either. She felt oddly sure of his feelings, and the only mystery was how she had gotten this far in her life without ever being this happy.
She thought back to her conversation in the office with Lou, and her early worries about how she and Declan would make the differences between them work, but she no longer felt the same fear. She sensed that they both cared too much about each other to let things get in the way, and she knew that she would make room for him in her life, and he would do the same for her. She simply felt too good to let the feeling go.
And he was a man worth compromising for.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Bennie shifted forward in the front seat of the truck, and Declan steered onto the driveway to the juvenile detention center. They had showered, eaten, and walked the dog, reentering the outside world happy, if sleepy. She turned to him, shifting into work mode in anticipation of seeing Jason.
“Okay, so Declan, do you want to go in first or shall I?”
“Whatever you want.” Declan drove up the hill, eyeing the parking lot ahead, which held more cars than usual. “Sunday must be visiting day.”
“I’ll go in first and get situated with Jason. We’ll sit on the right, and you sit on the left.”
“The boys will see each other.”
“Right, but they won’t relate the two of us, and that’s all I’m worried about.”
“Okay.” Declan reached the top of the hill, parked, cut the ignition, and kissed her briefly.
“Let’s go see the kids.” Bennie got her purse, climbed out of the truck, and closed the heavy door behind her. The sun felt warm and the wind blew gently off the river, a nice break in the weather. Declan put his arm around her, and they walked toward the entrance together. Another couple walked past them, looking back.
Suddenly, a shouted “hey!” cut the quiet Sunday afternoon, and they looked over to see Doreen leaving the detention center, holding the hands of her twin boys. “What the hell is going on here, Declan?” she shouted, startling the other couple, who hustled away.
“Doreen, relax.” Declan let go of Bennie, and she stopped in her tracks, momentarily unsure. Doreen must’ve changed her mind about visiting Richie and she’d brought the twins, who looked adorable, if confused, in matching blue coats.
“Uncle Declan!” called one of the boys, breaking into a happy grin. They both started to run toward Declan, but Doreen yanked them back, advancing.
“Declan, who the hell do you think you are, trying to take my son?” Doreen’s dark eyes flared with outrage. “Are you screwing Jason’s lawyer? Is that who this is coming from? Her?”
“No, wait.” Bennie’s mouth went dry, and Declan stepped in front of her, protectively.
“Doreen, calm down in front of the kids—”
“Where do you get off, trying to take my son! Richie told me what you were cooking up! I’m his parent, not you!” Doreen threw up her hands without letting go of the twins, tugging them around. Th
e boys started to cry, their identical little faces contorted with anxiety.
“Doreen, please.” Declan raised his hands in appeal. “Get a grip—”
“Go to hell!” Doreen glared past Declan, to Bennie. “You’re not taking my son from me! You’re not going to screw your way into my family!”
“Doreen, that’s enough,” Declan snapped, stern. “We can talk about this calmly. Let’s go somewhere and—”
“I’ll fight you every step of the way, Declan!” Doreen ignored the wailing twins. “You think you’re here to visit Richie? I took you off the visitors’ list, you’re not going to see him anymore! I get to say who sees him, not you!”
“Doreen, we can work this out—”
“Let him rot in there! Let him think about what he does! How he makes life horrible for me and his brothers! You can go straight to hell!” Doreen spat at Bennie while the twins cried, their little chests heaving. “He’s not your son, Declan! He’s mine!”
Declan guided Bennie toward the entrance. “Go inside. Hurry. I’ll take care of this. Go!”
Bennie hurried away, shaken. She felt bad about Doreen, but worse about the boys, distraught over the confrontation between their mother and uncle.
“Oh, sure, typical freaking lawyer!” Doreen called after her. “Run away like the sneak you are!”
Bennie hurried into the detention center and put her purse on the conveyor belt to go into the metal detector, and Stan the security guard looked up from his newspaper. She could hear Doreen still yelling, but couldn’t make out the words. “Sorry about that noise outside.”
“It’s not your fault.” Stan gestured her through the detector.
“It’s just kind of, upsetting.” Bennie realized that Stan didn’t connect her to the scene in the parking lot.
“It isn’t the first time. This ain’t Disneyland. I bet nobody fights in the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom. That mom, she’s a pistol. She gave her son a real hard time during the visit. Calvin, you know, the black guard, he had to tell her to mind her tongue.”
“Really?” Bennie asked, dismayed.
“Hey, my mom would’ve killed me, if I ended up in juvie.” Stan shook his head. “Anyway, I heard your client got to the nurse, so that’s good.”
“Yes, thanks.” Bennie picked up her purse from the conveyor belt, realizing the yelling in the parking lot had finally stopped.
“Go on, and I’ll have him sent in.”
“Thanks.” Bennie went to the visiting room and sat down. The room was fuller than usual, maybe because it was the weekend, and families clustered around the tables, talking, hugging, and wiping away tears. She looked away, and in the next few minutes, the door on the other side of the room opened, admitting Jason, with Calvin at his side.
They were both smiling, and Bennie found herself on her feet, happy to see Jason, whose grin broadened when he spotted her, scuffing forward more quickly than usual. He still wore his black knit cap, and his eyebrows seemed sparser, but she kept that to herself. “Hey, buddy, give me a hug,” Bennie said, but the boy was already wrapping his arms around her waist.
“Hi, Bennie!” Jason smiled up at her, his blue eyes bright. “My dad said I’m going home! He said you went to a better court, like the boss of the judge!”
“Well, not exactly,” Bennie answered, caught up short. Suddenly she heard shouting from the direction of the entrance hall and heads turned toward the commotion. The door was flung open by Doreen, her dark eyes glittering as she scanned the tables.
“Where are you, you bitch?” she hollered. “You can’t hide from me!”
“Stop, Mrs. Grusini!” Calvin hustled from the far side of the room, as shocked parents and children got up from their seats.
Bennie rose, horrified, putting Jason behind her. “Doreen, please, you need to calm down—”
“Stay away from my freaking family!” Doreen rushed toward Bennie, her fingers outstretched, but Calvin intercepted her, grabbing her by the arm and trying to pull her back toward the door. Parents rose at the tables, mothers protecting their children and fathers hustling to help Calvin.
“Go back to Philly, you whore!” Doreen struggled in his grasp, her face tinged with fury. “We were fine until you came here!”
“Doreen, please!” Bennie hustled Jason toward the back of the room.
“That’s Richie’s mom!” Jason gasped. “Why’s she yelling at you, Bennie?”
“You whore!” Doreen kept shouting, pushing back against Calvin. “You’re screwing my brother! You’re trying to take my son away from me! You’re a freaking whore!”
The door banged open, and Declan flew in and grabbed Doreen, tipping the balance in the men’s favor, dragging her screaming and kicking toward the door. They got her from the room just as Stan came through the door, blood dripping from a gash near his gelled hairline.
“Attention, people!” Stan called to the crowd, gesturing. “We’re going to lock this down! Visiting day is over! We need to lock this down!”
The crowd reacted, talking at once. “No, why?” “Come on, it takes me an hour to drive here!” “I wanna see my kid, I waited all week for this!”
“Sorry, it’s procedure,” Stan called back. “Say good-bye to your kids and have them line up at the door! Police are on the way!”
“Bennie, what’s going on? What’s happening?” Jason hugged Bennie around the waist, and she rubbed his back, holding him close.
“I’ll explain later, honey.” Bennie hadn’t wanted Jason to know anything, much less to find out this way. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your problem.”
“Why lock it down?” a father yelled back, at Stan. “They got her out! It’s over! Don’t make it a federal case!”
“Sorry, sir.” Stan pointed at the exit door. “Please leave. We have a security risk on the premises, we go into lockdown.”
“That’s bullshit!” one mother called out, though most of the parents and the crowd were giving their children final hugs and bidding them teary good-byes.
“Bennie?” Jason hugged her, and she hugged him back.
“You’d better go, honey. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“But when am I going home? I just want to go home.” Jason’s eyes brimmed with tears, and Bennie’s heart broke.
Stan came over, meeting her eye with concern. “Sheesh! Ms. Rosato, are you guys okay?”
“We’re fine, but how are you? What happened to your head?”
“I hit it on the machine. She came at me when I wouldn’t let her back inside.” Stan shook his head in disgust. “That woman is straight-up crazy. If she has a beef with you, I’d stay out of her way.”
Jason looked from Stan to Bennie. “That’s Richie’s mom. Is she really crazy?”
“Anyway, it’s all over now.” Stan placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder, with a reassuring smile. “Pal, you gotta go back to your room. Go get in line with the others, will you?”
“Okay.” Jason shuffled off, joining the others, the last one in the line, his head down and his black cap as round as a period at the end of a very sad sentence.
Bennie stood with the parents, watching their children file out, then the door closed and the kids were gone. Mothers and fathers turned away, glancing over at her, their expressions resentful.
“I’m so … sorry,” Bennie stammered.
“Slut,” someone hissed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Bennie passed the afternoon sitting at a table in a nearby bar, watching the sun vanish from the sky through a dirty window outlined with Christmas lights. Her view was a lineup of dark vacant row homes, backgrounded by the adult prison, its concertina wire glittering like tinsel. Stuck into the patch of snow by the road was a white-painted sign, BAIL BONDS—CALL ME FIRST TO PUT U BACK ON THE STREET.
The bar was empty, and behind her, the bartender hummed tunelessly to himself. The air smelled like stale cigarette smoke, and the floor felt gritty. Dusty holiday lights festooned the paneled walls, a
nd the TV over the bar played a football game on mute. Bennie could watch even though it was behind her, because of its flickering reflection in the window. The Eagles were losing.
Bennie checked her phone, but there was still no call or text from Declan, who had gone with Doreen to the police station. That was about two hours ago, and Bennie killed the time by answering email and calling Matthew. Her call had gone to voicemail, so she’d left a message. She remembered that he was working a double shift, but she wanted to tell him before he heard it from Jason. She’d have to come clean to Matthew about Declan, too, and she hoped he’d understand, in context.
A blast of cold air brought her from her reverie, and she looked over to see Declan entering the bar. He walked over heavily, his posture somewhat stooped, which struck her as unlike him.
“I’m sorry it took so long.” Declan kissed her on the cheek, and Bennie could feel the tension clinging to him like frost.
“Sit down and have something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.” Declan took off his coat, looking past her to the bartender. “Hey, pal, can I get Yuengling on tap?”
“No problem,” the bartender called back.
Declan sat down heavily opposite Bennie, laying his hand on the table, palm up. “Take my hand, if you’re still speaking to me.”
“Of course I am.” Bennie took his hand and squeezed it gently.
“I am so sorry.” Declan met her eye, pained. “I’m so sorry I involved you with this. Forgive me, please.”
“It’s not your fault,” Bennie said, touched. “I’m sorry it happened, too. Did the police charge her?”
“No.” Declan looked up as the bartender came over with the beer and set it down. “Thanks, pal.” He nodded at Bennie. “You need anything more?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Gotcha,” the bartender said, leaving the table.
Declan picked up his beer. “As I was saying, they didn’t charge her. The guard decided not to press charges. He said it was an accident. She hit him and he fell backwards.” Declan sipped his beer, frowning. “It took her a long time to calm down. She was a raving lunatic. I’ve never seen my sister act like that. The kids were beside themselves. It was a nightmare.”